Electric motors include stator assemblies which have conductors for the motor. In a bar wound stator assembly the conductors are solid copper bars individually threaded into a stator stack. Following threading of the conductors in the stator stack, the conductors are individually twisted into the required positions.
During assembly of the stator assembly, metal tooling is located adjacent to the stator stack on a crown-side of the stator stack. Additional metal tooling is also located on a twist-side of the stator stack. At both the crown-side and the twist-side of the stator stack, the metal tooling is a plurality of metal fingers arranged around the circumference of the stator stack. The fingers extend radially between the individual conductors being threaded into the stator stack.
On the crown-side of the stator stack, the metal fingers assist in maintaining the desired position of the conductors during the assembly and the twisting operation. On the twist-side of the stator stack the metal fingers assist in maintaining the desired position of the conductors and provide guides for twisting the individual conductors during the twist operation. After assembly is complete the metal fingers are removed, leaving space between the conductors. The space, previously occupied by the metal fingers, electrically isolates the conductors from the stator stack and from one another as required for operation of the stator assembly.